After less than four years in jail, three men accused in the murder of a 16-year-old boy signed a plea deal with prosecutors Monday afternoon, allowing them to walk out of Orleans Parish Prison within 24 hours.

But a fourth man charged in the same shooting declined a similar deal, forgoing immediate release and choosing instead to gamble on a second-degree murder trial next week. A fifth has already been convicted of murder and is two years into a life sentence at Angola.

Gordon, a ninth grader, was shot in the head and died on the sidewalk in the 1500 block of Conti Street.

Kemp, Jackson and Grant pleaded guilty Monday to lesser offenses, and in exchange were immediately released from prison with credit for time served.

Only Clay's case remains set for trial next week. He was offered the same deal as the others, his attorney, Jason Williams, said.

Joseph Kemp, Quincy Jackson and Dominick Grant were all charged in the 2009 slaying of 16-year-old Roderick Gordon. Each pleaded guilty to reduced charges on Monday, and were released from jail with credit for the nearly four years they already served.

"It's a good deal; everybody wants to go home," Williams said. "If he takes this today, he's home tomorrow. But he's not going to plea to something he didn't do."

Clay's childhood friend, Travis Burke, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2011 for the same killing. There was no physical evidence tying any of the men to the shooting. The state's case against Burke in 2011 hinged on a sole eyewitness, who also pegged Clay as the second shooter.

A woman, who was put into protective custody for her testimony, told the court that she was walking on May 22, 2009, when she noticed a white car and a black Trans Am pass her, according to appeals court records.

She said she recognized the teenagers from the neighborhood. Jamal "Mall" Clay and Travis Burke were in the white car, and three other young men were in the black one.

She watched, she said, as Burke and Clay got out of the car, each holding a handgun. She said she ducked behind a car parked next to a building.

She heard 15 shots, she testified, according to records from the 2011 trial. She saw the bullet hit Roderick in the back of the head, and she watched him fall onto the sidewalk.

He "crawled for his life," she told the court.

Then she said she watched as the gunmen stood over the boy and fired several more times.

The woman picked both Clay and Burke from photo lineups.

But Williams said an additional eyewitness has surfaced since the trial.

Police interviewed him shortly after the shooting, Williams said. The man had gone to school with both Burke and Clay, recognized both and told detectives that neither of them were the gunmen.

That witness was not called to testify at Burke's trial; his defense attorney was not even aware that there had been a second witness, Williams said.

In January, days before Clay's trial was scheduled to begin and two years after Burke's conviction, prosecutors notified Clay's attorneys of the witness.

Williams said he intends to call that second witness to testify that neither Clay nor Burke were there that day, contradicting the woman's statements.

Williams said Monday that he was ready to go to trial, but prosecutors asked for a delay, citing problems with a material witness.

Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier granted them a delay of one week, and scheduled Clay's trial for April 8. He is facing an automatic life sentence if found guilty as charged.

His three co-defendants opted instead to plead guilty to reduced charges.

Jackson pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter, typically punishable by 10 to 40 years in prison. But he and prosecutors agreed to an eight-year sentence, with credit for time served and the remaining years suspended, leaving him eligible for immediate release. He will serve five years on probation.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Napoli told the court Monday that Jackson participated in the killing, but did not fire the fatal shot.

Kemp and Grant both pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Both were sentenced to five years in prison and, like Jackson, offered credit for time served and the remaining balance suspended.

Kemp also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of simple battery and was given a six-month suspended sentence. Prosecutors dismissed another unrelated obscenity charge against him.

"It's hard to turn down something that allows my client to walk out of jail," said Kemp's attorney, John Fuller. "We didn't want to risk a sure thing."

Grant also pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen firearm and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He accepted five-year, partially suspended sentences on each, and will not serve any additional prison time for either charge.

The three who pleaded guilty on Monday will be released from the Orleans Parish Prison within 24 hours, their lawyers said. Grant and Kemp can apply to have their records expunged in several years.

Napoli told the court Monday that Kemp and Grant were present during the killing, though neither fired a shot.

The true killer, Napoli said, was Travis Burke, who has already been convicted and is in prison.

Burke and his family maintain his innocence. He was home on the day of the murder, he claims, watching television with his sister and his infant child. His case remains on appeal.